Star Ocean changed the game for RPGs, 30 years ago this month

The past few decades have been kind to the role-playing genre, offering a broad variety of experiences. Some franchises have stayed with us for most of that time, including the obvious standouts like Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest. Others have operated largely in the background, building followings before fading away, like Suikoden and Grandia. Or, they quietly add new entries that serve a devoted niche, like Legend of Heroes or Shin Megami Tensei, without enjoying mainstream success.

One series that all too often gets left out of discussions is Star Ocean. The series has continued to receive new entries in the decades following its July 1996 debut, including Star Ocean: The Divine Force in 2022, but JRPG fans don’t pay nearly enough attention to it. That’s a shame, especially considering the impact the series had when its very first installment offered a twist that forever changed the genre.

Star Ocean came into existence when development of Tales of Phantasia, the start of another long-running franchise, prompted dissatisfaction among the project’s leadership. Key staff members left Wolf Team and founded a new company called Tri-Ace. Those developers then used much of what they had learned to create a new game, Star Ocean, mixing fantasy and science fiction elements. Right out of the gate, they also introduced something new and important: Private Actions.

Like most RPGs, Star Ocean features a party of characters who travel the world together, battling monsters and enjoying rare moments of respite and banter. Typically, the latter have been tightly controlled, unfolding without the player’s input. For example, there is a memorable scene in Chrono Trigger when the characters sit around a campfire in the woods. Players will witness that interlude whether they wish to or not, provided they explore the relevant side quest near the game’s conclusion, and take from it any character development the game’s creators had in mind.

Star Ocean turned that mechanic sideways. As characters arrive at a new destination, they have the opportunity to press a button and break into smaller groups, where “Private Actions” may occur. For example, lead character Roddick might give a present to Ilia, which triggers jealousy from another ally, Ronyx. These completely optional events can impact affection levels between key party members. The right outcomes might even yield skills or abilities that are otherwise unavailable. Many such events are entirely missable, since your team composition affects whether they appear, adding replay value and encouraging experimentation.

Square Enix

By making character progression and relationships more interactive, Private Actions raised the stakes. When there are missable rewards on the line, players are more likely to care about the characters and their otherwise minor foibles. It was a smart way to move the JRPG forward and to push storytelling in new directions, but it went largely unnoticed by American gamers because the Star Ocean franchise didn’t head west until SCEA published Star Ocean: The Second Story on the PlayStation. As for the original Star Ocean, it didn’t become available in the region until Star Ocean: The First Departure arrived for PSP in 2008.

The lack of wide availability didn’t prevent Private Actions from impacting the genre, however. By the time Star Ocean: The Second Story debuted, Tales of Destiny had responded with “skits” that worked in much the same way. Later installments in the series, such as Tales of Symphonia, also incorporated them. Even Final Fantasy 9 tried a similar approach with ATEs (Active Time Events) that occurred between characters. To this day, the genre builds on the foundation the original Star Ocean laid, in franchises as diverse as Fire Emblem and Persona.

Even if Tri-Ace hadn’t conceived Private Actions, some other team would have gotten there eventually. But Star Ocean was the innovator that made a proper system out of such interactions, baking them into the design. Gamers who enjoy more meaningful interactions among their party members owe it a debt of gratitude.